An engineering team in Burnaby, B.C., is forging the way ahead in fuel cell research and development, helping Cellcentric use hydrogen to power heavy-duty longhaul trucks.
The group’s activities and ideas have shaped the NextGen fuel cell system, Joachim Ladra, Cellcentric’s head of sales, marketing and communication told TruckNews.com at ACT Expo 2025 in Anaheim, Calif.
He said a team of about 60 people in Burnaby are working on two key areas. Firstly, they focus on product development. “How can we make fuel cells better? They also look at trucking applications that pay into reducing total cost of ownership, efficiency and manufacturing ease,” he said.
Secondly, the team delves into manufacturing technologies and process to produces fuel cells at scale. This includes automation, machinery, technology and quality testing.
350 kW continuous net output
With a continuous net output of more than 350 kW – offering more than 500 horsepower – and weighing less than 500 kg, NextGen is designed for conventional 13-liter diesel engine compartments and is easy to integrate into existing vehicle platforms, Nicholas Loughlan, chief technology officer explained.
The system achieves the performance characteristics of comparable longhaul conventional heavy-duty trucks while reducing fuel consumption by 20%, compared to the company’s current generation BZA150 fuel cell, he added.
NextGen slashes waste heat by 40% at 300 kW net power, provides 40% more power density and has cut complexity by 40%, the company said.
With NextGen, a fully loaded 40-ton (80,000-lb.) heavy-duty truck is expected to need about 9.7 kg of hydrogen to travel 100 miles (160 km).
The fuel cell stack drives increased system efficiency. The system uses three levers to improve fuel consumption. This is achieved by an increase of the active stack area, improved membrane electrode assembly that implements new catalyst formulations to boost efficiency, and improved operating conditions and system design.
Loughlan said this system can run on compressed or liquid hydrogen.
Testing in harsh climate
Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group, who are 50/50 shareholders in Cellcentric have successfully integrated the current BZA150 fuel cell system into their prototype trucks.
The system’s been tested at high altitudes – Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy and has undergone winter testing at the Simplon Pass in Switzerland as well as at the Arctic circle in Scandinavia.
Cellcentric’s factory near Stuttgart, Germany is producing the BZA150. The company is currently testing the NextGen system.
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